We Worship God as We Learn about Conversion

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:18

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

Insights:  The third thing that helps us develop confidence in our relationship with Jesus is our worship as we learn about our salvation.  Think about the very first part of this verse.  Peter wrote, “For Christ also died for sins once for all.”  This part of the verse is powerful in and of itself.  One of the reason we baptist hold to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, which is more familiarly stated as, once saved always saved is because of verses like this one.  In Hebrews chapter six we find these words, “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame (4-6).”  The point is that if one could actually lose the salvation with which they were purchased and then desired to be reconciled to Christ, it would be the same as putting Jesus on the cross a second time.  Yet our verse today tells us that Jesus died once for all.  His work was sufficient for all sin.  The second thing to notice as we worship the Lord as we learn about our conversion is the personality involved.  In other words, Jesus is the central figure.  He is the One and the only one who is just.  We are the unjust and He had to die for us because we needed a perfect substitute to pay the penalty God’s wrath required for sin.  I am so grateful God is willing to take a substitute because if it were dependent on me and my goodness, then I, like everyone else, would fall terribly short of the mark.  There is a third thing to think about regarding our salvation and that is the spiritual life that is born within us.  When Adam and Eve sinned they died spiritually.  Christ Jesus died for us in the flesh so that we might be raised from our spiritual death to newness of life.  In other words, He did the exact opposite of Adam.  Let me encourage you to worship the Lord as you learn more and more about the beauty of the cross.

Questions:

1.  Is your relationship with Jesus getting stronger each day?

2.  Do you ever ponder the extensive cost the cross really exacted on our Lord?

Prayer: Father, forgive me when I take the cross for granted.  You paid a price too great for me to comprehend and I all too often do not express my gratitude for such a generous gift.  Thank You, Lord, for my salvation.  Amen.